What is the Manosphere. Impacts for Young People, Teachers and Schools
With the increase in online content promoting misogyny and male supremacy over women, this growing ‘manosphere’ is having an impact on what is occurring in schools across the country.
The manosphere issue is not new, but it is growing and creating a cycle that influences young men’s attitudes and behaviour towards women and girls in both society and schools.
UN Women describe the manosphere as an ‘umbrella term’ for online communities that have increasingly promoted narrow and aggressive definitions of what it means to be a man – and the false narrative that feminism and gender equality have come at the cost of men’s rights. These communities promote the idea that emotional control, material wealth, physical appearance and dominance, especially over women, are markers of male worth. [1]
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safey (ANROWS), and Monash University Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub have released An Introductory Guide to the Manosphere and the Impacts for Young People[2] as a resource for teachers and other school staff who work with young people in secondary schools.
ANROWS defines the manosphere as online spaces that promote misogyny and male supremacy. These spaces are no longer a fringe internet issue as their harmful ideas are moving from the digital world directly into Australian classrooms, where school communities are now facing the brunt of their impact.[3]
We highly recommend this guide to members as a resource for you and your leadership teams as it explains:
- The impacts of the manosphere for young people, teachers and schools
- What is the manosphere?
- What are the main beliefs and ideas of the manosphere?
- What are the links between the manosphere and violence?
- Pathways into the manosphere: What is the appeal to young men?
- What are the roles of algorithms and social media?
- How can schools help young people navigate the manosphere?
Real-world examples of how the manosphere is resulting in unsafe workplaces for many of our female members have already been raised with the IEU. We are also seeing members being impacted by the creation of deep-fake image-based sexual exploitation and coordinated online harassment and harassment of students and teachers in the classroom.[4]
The IEU has been able to support members to raise WHS issues related to such behaviours and attitudes in schools. We have been able to work with employers to identify and mitigate the workplace hazards and ensure employers are aware of their Positive Duty to proactively prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment, sex discrimination and hostile environments.
If you have experienced or are concerned about the effects of the manosphere at your employment, contact the IEU for advice – 8410 0122 or enquiries@ieusa.org.au
Sources:
[1] https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/what-is-the-manosphere-and-why-should-we-care
[2] https://anrows-2019.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/05093402/DF-ANROWS-ManosphereGuide-Final.pdf
[3] https://www.anrows.org.au/resources/guide-to-the-manosphere
[4] https://ieusa.org.au/gendered-violence-online-and-offline-needs-more-attention-in-schools-by-schools
